My random ramblings and stray reflections about anything from social justice and global/international issues to internship/job postings peppered with the occasional event info that might interest friends and foes alike.

Vice Biondo, "Islam in the U.S. and Britain:Tribalism and Pluralism" Anas Malik, "The Case for a Minarchist LibertarianPolitical Islam" Al-Husein al-Madhany, "Pooh-Poohing Pluralism:Ijtihading Hadith to Build a Theology of Exclusion" Peter Wright, "Rethinking the Inimitable"

The Center for Human Rights & Global Justice and the International Human Rights Clinic at NYU School of Law invite you to a briefing on the impact of our report on caste discrimination in India. The report, issued jointly with Human Rights Watch, was presented to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva during its review of India’s human rights record on February 23 & 26.

Presenters include:

Prof. Smita Narula, CHRGJ Faculty Director

Jayne Huckerby, CHRGJ Research Director

Stephanie Barbour, Tiasha Palikovic &

Jeena Shah, Clinic students

Reena Arora, CHRGJ fellow

Maithili Pradhan, CHRGJ intern

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2007

6:00-7:30 p.m.

NYU School of Law

Vanderbilt Hall, Room 214

40 Washington Square South

I.D. required for entry

In what has been called India’s “hidden apartheid,” more than 165 million Dalits, or “untouchables,” continue to face discrimination, exploitation, and violence simply because of their caste. The report documents India’s systematic failure to respect, protect and ensure Dalits’ fundamental human rights.

Sponsored by The Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies, The Hudson Institute, and The Fletcher SchoolFriday, April 27Time: 4:30 pmLocation: ASEAN Auditorium in the Cabot Intercultural Center at The Fletcher School, Tufts University. Reception will follow the panel discussions in the Hall of Flags. For directions please visit http://fletcher.tufts.edu/IslamInDemocraticSocietiesConf/directions.shtml.Panel discussions will include: Moderates & Radicals; Supporting Moderates: How Moderate Muslims Can Counter ExtremismRSVP: For those who will be attending we ask you to register at http://fletcher.tufts.edu/IslamInDemocraticSocietiesConf.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

I recently came across some information about a fascinating book written by an Indian Punjabi fellow by the name of Tridivesh Singh Maini. Singh has studied in England and the US and has worked all over the world in diverse sectors and organizations, and is using his experiences constructively to talk about the role of the two Punjabs - Indian and Pakistani (that were torn apart during the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947) - in South Asian cooperation.

I have yet to get my hands on it, but will leave you with some resources that show you how much of a must-read this book is for anyone remotely interested in South Asia, especially cooperation and peace in that region.

You are invited to a networking mingle with Muslim entrepreneurs to discuss their innovative ideas and inspiration from a faith-based perspective. Come learn how Muslim Americans are promoting enterprise in America. The event is free and open to the public.

Zeeshan Suhail our moderator, is a graduate student in Political Science at The Graduate Center (CUNY). Zeeshan was recently appointed Board Member for Americans for Informed Democracy and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in International Relations at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). Zeeshan was also an active member of student government at his undergraduate school, Queens College-CUNY, where he was the first Pakistani and the first Muslim to be elected Vice President in the 35 years of student government history. Zeeshan has appeared on CNN and his work has been published in Q-News (Britain), The World Scholar (New York), Pakistan Post (New York) and The Nation (Pakistan).

Asma Shikoh is visual artist, whose main concerns are her immediate environment. She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan--a society constrained by tradition, threaded through with colonial legacy and subjected to the most rapid changes due to the impact of globalization. Her work there attempted to define national and cultural identities of a society in flux. ‘Ronald’ from McDonalds and ‘Colonel Sanders’ of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) became revered icons in the imagery of my artwork; celebrating, dancing, invading, controlling, and challenging the very vulnerable/sacred ideals of nationalism in our society. She recently had an exhibit at the Ceres Gallery in New York City.

Sajjad Chowdhry is creator of Dinar Standard, a new business strategy e-magazine, released the first ever ranking of top businesses in the Muslim world covering companies from the 57 member countries of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Conference.)

Yasser Salem is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York and Dubai. Prior to McKinsey & Company, Mr. Salem held several positions within the financial services industry, including investment banking and buy-side investing. Mr. Salem works with Sponsors for Educational Opportunity, a non-profit organization which recruits, trains, and places outstanding minority college students in substantive financial services internships. Yasser graduated with honors from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He is currently a recruiter for Sponsors in Educational Opportunity, nation’s premiere summer internship program for talented students of color leading to full-time job offers. Since its inception, SEO’s Career Program has placed over 4,000 Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Native American students in internships that lead to opportunities in exciting and rewarding careers in the most competitive industries worldwide.

Omar Taha has various experiences in the financial services industry, including Foreign Exchange trading in New York. Prior to Foreign Exchange trading, Mr. Taha was an Investment Banking analyst at Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse First Boston. Mr. Taha graduated from the Honors Program at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University with degrees in Finance and Accounting. He started The S&T Group, a financial services executive search firm catering exclusively to Dubai and the greater Gulf; focusing on direct investing (private equity and hedge funds), investment banking, capital markets, and accounting opportunities. They were founded with the mission of being primary contributors to the economic and corporate development of the Middle East. They believe, with the right professional talent, the Middle East has all the resources necessary to become leaders in the corporate world. The S&T Group focuses on high quality long-term relationships with clients and candidates.

Moushumi Khan is an attorney and business consultant in private practice in New York City. She has had extensive experience with cross-cultural issues affecting companies dealing with Muslim employees, customers or suppliers. She has been active in the non-profit, economic development and legal sectors. Since February 2001 Ms. Khan has been in solo legal practice concentrating on corporate and civil rights law. Her clients include the Muslim immigrant populations, and companies with Muslim employee and community relations issues to resolve. Ms. Khan is a co-founder and President of the Muslim Bar Association of New York and is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Toufique Harun is a technology entrepreneur at heart. He is currently the founder and CEO of an Internet search start-up. He was formerly the VP of Systems & Technology at an oil trade facilitation company he helped build from conception. Prior to that, he was consulting at Deloitte. Toufique has a Bachelor's and Master's in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. In his spare time, he enjoys talking to and learning from ambitious leaders and entrepreneurs who want to change the world for the better.

Sarah Musa started Haya, LLP to meet the overwhelming demands for modest, contemporary clothing for women living in the West. There are countless stories by women who have spent hours in shopping malls, only to find that they have to compromise simply to get a long garment, perhaps something that is not walk-able, has slits, is made to be fitted, etc. She is currently a student at Fashion Institute of Technology.

Musa Syeed is a 2005 Fulbright Fellow producing experimental films related to identity in the Muslim world. His work has taken him from the deserts of Egypt to the mountains of Kashmir. His other filmmaking honors include being named a finalist for the George A. Heinemann Film Production Award. As a writer, he produced original theatrical work for the Children's Museum of Manhattan and serves as a film critic for Islamica Magazine. Syeed has worked as an educator in schools, community centers, and prisons. He focuses on interfaith education and serves as an advisor for film and television companies, including Thirteen/WNET, the PBS affiliate in New York City. He is an alumnus of New York University's Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies and Tisch School of the Arts.

Zeeshan's shared items

Zeeshan Suhail is a communications professional with several years of experience in international private sector and development organizations. He is a Board Member for the Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Informed Democracy and the New York City-based World Faith. His articles on international development and Western-Muslim world relations have been featured in media outlets internationally. Zeeshan has advanced leadership certifications and has been selected as a Carnegie New Leader by the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs and a Muslim Leader of Tomorrow by the Cordoba Initiative.
Zeeshan holds an undergraduate degree in International Business from Queens College-CUNY (where he was also the first Muslim Vice President of student government in the college's then 35 years of student government history) and a graduate degree in International Relations from the Graduate Center-CUNY. Zeeshan is fluent in Urdu, and proficient in other South Asian languages and enjoys independent cinema, old South Asian film songs and traveling. He is based in Lahore, Pakistan.